Blackboard
by a blue fruit cup
Summary: Ichigo has detention. Hinamori keeps him company. AU, IchiHina Drabble


**AN: High-school AU. I hope you enjoy! :D**

"…I promise not to beat up a student again," _Forty-two. _"I promise not to beat up a student again…" _Forty Three._

His hand hurt.

"I promise not to beat up a student again... I promise not to… Momo, she gone?" The orange-haired teenager paused at the blackboard, chalk in hand, eyes vivid and alert. He didn't turn, merely stood there – waiting for the response, trusting that his friend wouldn't betray him and lie.

"I can't see her in the hallway. I think she's gone," the girl said.

Ichigo sighed. "Took long enough. I thought she was never going to leave. After the lecture she gave me… Shit, she must really have it for me."

The raven-haired girl near him remained quiet, brown eyes on book, shoulders slump and one-hundred-percent oblivious to what he was saying. Ichigo's lips parted into a frown as he walked over. _Of course she's busy reading, _the teenager grumbled inside his head, _She's been going on and on about reading that book since this morning. _His honey eyes focused on the pages, trying to read small snippets from where he stood and piece together what was happening. _Subways… Yelling… Whips… What is this? _

"Wait a moment-!" the boy exclaimed. His eyes bulged and he yelped, tripping over his feet and falling backward with an absurdly loud cry of, _"Fuck!"_

The crash caught Hinamori's attention. She lifted her head and looked at him, "Ichigo?" her eyes widened when she spotted him lying in a heap of chairs, "Nya, I'm sorry- I wasn't paying attention! Are you alright?" The girl got up, pushed her chair back, and scrambled to his side in an instant.

He groaned. "I feel like Rukia went at me with a hammer…"

"Should we go to the nurse?" Hinamori's slender hand found his and pulled him up.

Ichigo winced. The boy bit back the pain and shook his head. "No, it's not that bad."

Hinamori didn't look convinced. She wrapped a hand around his waist and guided him to one of the chairs, sitting him down gently, "At the very least, rest. I'll write out the rest of the sentences for you, okay?"

"Momo, I told you, it isn't bad – I can do it myself-!" His words came too late. Ichigo frowned as he watched Hinamori pick up the chalk and diligently forge his own handwriting on the blackboard. _No point in arguing with her now, _the boy thought, _she won't stop until she's finished. _

Defeated, he tried not to think too much on the subject. The boy opted to look around instead.

Later, when the teacher came back to check in on the two detention students, they would have to fix the chairs and straighten them or else receive _another _lecture. Nothing else looked out of place in the room – it was neat, orderly, and quiet. The only other object of interest was the open book on Hinamori's desk, right where she left it after helping him up… Ichigo's eyes lingered on it. He had suspicions on the unlabeled book and they needed to be confirmed.

"Oi, Momo?" Ichigo asked.

The girl paused and looked over. "Yes? Ichigo?"

"That book… uh…" He dead-panned. _Fuck. How do I ask this? _Ichigo forced out the words, "Is that… uh… is that book… is it _Fifty Shades of Grey?"_

Hinamori stared at him. "How did you know?"

Without meaning to, Ichigo's face turned red. He averted his eyes down, voice cracking with every sentence, "We- Well, my sisters- they- no, Yuzu- she likes to read things like that… I- I was bored- and it was there! And I didn't realize- and- and… Fuck!" he stopped, blush brighter than a cherry tomato.

"You've read it? For real?" Hinamori gasped.

Embarrassed, he nodded. "It was only once and I threw the damn book away afterward, but- but I read it, yeah. Can you not tell anyone? I don't want Rukia or Renji to find out-!"

Ichigo froze as he heard a short, sweet sound fill the room. He looked up to find Hinamori laughing, holding her sides and face bright and cheery as ever. It took her a minute to calm down, wiping her eyes and smiling, "I'm sorry- Ichigo, I find it funny you're so embarrassed about it. Geez, I'm sure half the class have done things _twice_ as bad, reading that book is nothing to be ashamed of!" She declared, "I know I don't agree with the story, characters, or context of the book, but if you like it or choose to read it then it's your business. I won't make fun of you for it, much less tell anyone. Promise."

She was nice. Too nice. It was physicallypainful how kind she could be. The orange-haired teen relaxed and nodded. "Thanks, Momo."

The girl turned back to the blackboard. She had written down another ten or so sentences since first picking up the chalk. Ichigo looked on, impressed. Not only could Hinamori copy his handwriting down to a point, but she was also fast and capable of forging sentences in a short period of time.

Admittedly, he found himself noticing more and more about her these days. From the things she liked – _her eyes had a tendency to light up a certain way, especially when peaches and watermelon were brought up in conversation – _tothe way she did her hair and dressed – _she enjoyed wearing a bun for school and keeping it down for leisure; her clothes had a tendency to tie into an 'earthy' theme, browns and greens highlighting her wardrobe and complimented with pinks, reds, and a small mix of purple and turquoise – _to the way she behaved – _kind, too kind for her own good, the kind of kindness that would get her into trouble one day – _Ichigo had slowly been noting more and more of her finer details. It was strange, he couldn't quite explain why he did it, but he _did _and the teenager had come to accept the fact.

Thinking back, Ichigo went over their conversation. It was another odd habit he had of doing – one where he would recount every word, try to remember her facial expressions, and either scold or praise himself for acting a certain way.

He found himself smiling, eyes crinkled with humor, as he thought back to what she said. He could trust Hinamori. She wouldn't tell anyone he had read the dreaded _Fifty Shades of Grey_.

The boy paused, his gaze shifting back to Hinamori's desk. They stopped – focusing on the open book resting there, examining the slightly-crinkled pages. Ichigo's smile vanished and a frown, neutral, replaced it. He could recall Hinamori had criticized part of it. _No, criticize isn't the right word. She didn't seem fond of it. But why is she reading it…? _

"Momo? You got a moment?" Ichigo contemplating getting up, but decided against it. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and looked at her.

The girl stopped in her writing – she must have finished another twenty by this point – and paused. Her brown eyes met his, "Ichigo?"

"Uh, well," _Fuck. _Ichigo cursed himself inwardly. Talking about the blasted book was making him flustered, "That book," The boy gestured to it, "I didn't get the whole impression you enjoyed reading it…" He trailed off and reached up to idly run a hand through his orange hair.

Hinamori smiled, "I don't like it, but I'm reading it for an assignment in my English class. I have to write a paper on a controversial book and it seemed like an easy choice," she explained calmly, "I was really excited that my teacher let me pick it. I can't wait to finish it and tear it apart in an essay," her smile perked, twisting – _for the briefest second_ – into a Cheshire-like grin, before it reverted to normal, "Speaking of, since you've read it – do you mind if I interview you and ask you a few questions on it? I want to know what others think of the relationship between Anastasia and Christian. I know there's internet forums and review websites I could read, and I plan to do that, but it would really help if I could get answers from someone in person…!"

Ichigo looked up at her and froze. Somewhere along the line, the girl had walked over and was now leaning over the desk, peering at him, face _too _close for comfort.

_How the fuck did I miss that? _The boy gulped, cursing his lapse of attentiveness. _I should have noticed her moving! _

"Aaa, are you not listening? Ichigo?" Hinamori looked at him.

Ichigo flinched and straightened up. The boy cursed under his breath and grit his teeth, looking at Hinamori and noting the concerned look on her face. "Fuck, sorry, I was thinking." _Of you, _but he didn't feel the need to add that.

Hinamori bit her lip. She clasped her hands together, "Should I repeat the question?"

He shook his head, "I remember it," Ichigo sighed and let a frown sneak on his face. He tried not to blush while he spoke. "You can interview me, or… or, fuck, whatever you need to do."

"Really?" Her face lit up again.

Ichigo felt two soft hands grab his own and pull him forward. Hinamori's shining eyes greeted him as she smiled and held on to his hands tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you-! We can stop at a coffee shop or something on the way home, it'll be quick – promise!" her exuberant ramble reflected excitement.

While he was good at noting things and figuring out basic solutions, the teenager couldn't explain the feeling he got when his friend let go. He ignored it, watching Hinamori skip back to the blackboard. Clearing his throat, Ichigo pushed his chair back – loudly – and stood, stretching his arms and gritting his teeth at the sensations. He looked over at Hinamori and frowned.

"I can write the rest," Ichigo said, sticking his hands into his jean pockets. The boy walked over. "If I've counted correctly, there's only twelve left to write."

"You sure?" The girl questioned.

Ichigo paused. "Yeah. The sooner I'm done with this, the sooner we can leave, right? Besides, detention's almost over anyways... Leave this to me." He took the chalk from her hand.

Hinamori nodded. "I'll pack my stuff and get ready to go."

"And one more thing- oi, Momo," the orange-haired boy frowned, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He watched her look back. "Thanks for the keeping me company."

She smiled, "No problem."

Ichigo turned back to the blackboard, writing fervently. This time he couldn't blame her book for his blushing.


End file.
